[Libs-Or] Summer Reading Office Hours Summary and Next Up

[BERGQUIST Greta * SLO]

Hi all,

Yesterday at Summer Reading Office Hours, we focused on Logistics and Statistics. Here's a quick recap. (If I misrepresent anything someone said, please let me know so I can correct!) You can see these notes and also some super examples of fun reading logs and infographics in the Children's Services Division Shared Drive Summer folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xxg7Ay3mjhzIA2DaBhU0SS3w22TlWrI1?usp=sharing

Libraries shared ways they collect summer reading participant data, including:


  *   Beanstack/summer reading app
  *   Paper surveys/journals/logs that get entered into a spreadsheet by library staff or volunteers
  *   Google forms - Using one ipad at front desk for sign-ups, patrons can also use website to sign up but most sign up in library; another library also using google forms or excel but entering in the data families have put on paper
  *   At programs, using a handheld tally counter to count attendance

Some thoughts about using data to inform program and about helping all staff see value of summer reading:


  *   When added book review option to online app, teen participation jumped - another library did this on paper and said also worked well for teens
  *   Weekly prize drawings to keep people who use the app engaged/coming into the library really helped engage families
  *   Did outreach to all 5th grade classrooms, saw big attendance numbers for that age of kids
  *   Sharing stats with all library staff helps them see how summer reading makes a difference/buy-in to how summer matters - one library shares summer stats at their yearly staff meeting and focuses on how this is making the community stronger by helping students engage in reading and fun when school's out
  *   Adding prize drawing for staff who participate if they also did online app worked really well to engage staff
  *   Some libraries found that app was not worth the cost due to low participation/families in their area not wanting kids online during summer, don't want another account/are willing to sign up through app but don't want to track there

Questions We Have:


  *   How do we help 0-5 caregivers understand that reading, playing, and talking with their littles counts as reading?
  *   How are we inclusive of folks who want to use the library in different ways during summer reading?
  *   How do we help library staff/volunteers buy in to statistics as important way to tell our story, share with our community, and help us understand where we could improve our program?
  *   Who else could we share summer statistics with so they know about all the work being done in libraries during the summer?


What's Next:

Next week, we'll meet at Noon on Wednesday March 12th, here's the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86446248960

Our focus is display and play! Bring any and all display ideas, including art/graphics/bulletin boards/decorations and/or book displays. Also bring play ideas! How are you gamifying your summer? It can be overall gamification or just including games in programming. What are you trying out? What are you excited about? What do you wish you had more of?

Any and all library staff who interact with summer reading are welcome.

Best,
Greta

Greta Bergquist, MLIS, MAT (she/her/hers)
Youth Services Consultant
State Library of Oregon
greta.bergquist at slo.oregon.gov<mailto:greta.bergquist at slo.oregon.gov>  | 971-375-3549
www.oregon.gov/library<http://www.oregon.gov/library>

[Title: State Library of Oregon]

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